Phantom Mask
by LuckydrawR
Summary: The Phantom Thief Kaitou KID is suddenly caught; with no other options - Kaito has to go on probation at another school in another part of Tokyo. This just so happens to be the home of the Phantom Thieves and see Kaito as a possible new ally with his own Thief skills. However ... with Kaito's recent circumstances will he come to trust them? Or people in general again? Drew Cover.
1. Shujin's Newest Convict

_**Now, I know I just recently started a few other fics, but this is one I've wanted to do for some time. It was only that I hadn't played Persona 5 yet to be able to write it. I see that there are fics crossed over with Detective Conan with the Persona series just not P5 even though there's quite a bit of fanart of the two together. I thought it'd be fun to write something, but since I haven't finished the game yet - I'm currently on Niijima's Palace on November 7th, waiting to send the calling card. So, therefore I'm only setting this after Medjed was caught, so before Haru joins and so on.**_

 _ **This is just something I wanted to write for fun. It wasn't going to be a continuation of the game with chapters and all, but if people want it to continue because it's 'interesting' then I'll think about it. As I said this is just something I wanted to do and it wasn't meant to continue the game. Also the title of this fanfic is based off of what I called my Phantom Thieves in my own playthrough.**_

 _ **Also, sorry, if Kaito is OOC, but it's for story relevance and if people want this to continue (which I bet they will) then its kind of been revealed why already, but the who will be later. I also apologise if it's rushed. I tried to fix as much of it up and add as much as I could, but it's the best I could do at the moment.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy.**_

 _'Speech' - (Thoughts)_

 _"Speech" - (Nearby Conversations)_

 _[Speech] - (Text Messages)_

"Speech" - (Normal Speaking)

 **"Speech" - (Persona and Shadows Speaking)**

* * *

 _ **Phantom💎Mask**_

 ** _Chapter 1: ** _Shujin's Newest Convict_**_**

 _"Did you hear? Kaitou KID finally got caught!?"_

 _"No! Not KID! His heists are the only thing I can look forward to!"_

 _"How'd the Police catch the guy? He's quite the slippery one and doesn't he hand everything back? He's no real threat..."_

 _"I heard they got a tip-off from someone."_

 _"A tip-off? I wonder if KID's identity will be revealed..."_

 ** _September 2nd - Early Morning - Shujin Academy Front Gates_**

It was the beginning of September and everyone was talking about the recent news of how the Phantom Thieves took down the hacktivist group; Medjed. It was all over the news and the Internet. A teenager with frizzy black hair and glasses, wearing the Shujin Academy summer uniform made his way to the school gates from the train station.

A slow, annoyed sigh made him look up and slow his pace to a stop to see two girls near the vending machines by the main gates. _"Did you see the news? It's terrible..."_

 _"What? About Medjed? How's that bad?"_ The other girl questioned, sounding confused.

 _"No. I'm talking about the other big news!"_ The girl stomped her foot in annoyance before looking down at the ground. _"They caught him ... Kaitou KID..."_

The other girl seemed taken aback by this news and stared at her friend in shock. _"W...What? S...Seriously?!"_

 _"Yea, I watched all the news specials about it that had Nakamori-Keibu in them. He said that KID's identity won't be revealed because he's still a minor and it wouldn't be fair to him. They basically placed him around here on probation since theft isn't that high of a crime as larceny and whatnot,"_ the other girl explained.

 _"So, then he's here like the other transfer is only for theft and not assault."_ The girl was beginning to get giddy. _"I can't wait to meet KID in person!"_

"Whoa! So someone else has been sent here on probation?" A black cat came out of the teen's bag and leant on his shoulder. "Who is this Kaitou KID anyway?"

"A Phantom Thief that uses illusions and trickery to steal his targets which are usually priceless gems," the teen explained to the cat.

"Ooh! He sounds like someone we could definitely have on our team!" The cat exclaimed in excitement as he went back into the bag; allowing the teen to continue on his trek towards the school gates.

 ** _September 2nd - Morning - Shujin Academy 2-D Classroom_**

"Class is noisy today, huh, Akira?" The black-haired teen turned to look at the pig-tailed blond in front of him with piercing aqua-blue eyes. "Everyone's talking about what happened to Kaitou KID."

"He _is_ a famous jewel thief after all. He's never been caught and then _suddenly_ he is. I guess hearing that he's a minor and supposedly coming here for probation has lots of people excited," he replied with a simple shrug.

She gave him a smile and a nod of her head. "I guess if people knew we were the Phantom Thieves they'd react the same way, huh?"

Akira simply gave a nod as the teacher entered the classroom with an annoyed look on her face. She had messy brown hair and eyes and wore a simple bright patterned sweater. "Alright, I believe you have all heard the news by now. However that doesn't mean you should give the student any grief for any crimes he did in the past."

 _"Why would we? He's Kaitou KID after all!"_

 _"He's as good as the Phantom Thieves!"_

"Alright, quiet down!" the teacher exclaimed, before turning to the doorway to the classroom and sighing. "You can come in now."

The class quietened down as the student came in; he had messy brown hair and piercing blue eyes that shone like sapphires. He wore the Shujin summer uniform like everyone else only it was unbuttoned and he had a light blue shirt underneath. His hands were currently occupying his pockets as he fidgeted; eyes searching the room for any possible escape routes.

"Hi there, my name is Kaito Kuroba. I hope we get along..." His eyes finally shifted to the floor; he was used to the attention, but when it leaked out that people could figure him out just from small bits of information it worried him.

"Kuroba-kun, go sit behind Kurusu-kun." The teacher looked towards the black haired teen and before she could ask him to raise his hand; Kaito caught on to where she was looking and followed her gaze. She blinked as he walked down the row and sat behind the teen, rather quietly.

 _"Are we sure this guy is KID? He seems rather distant..."_

 _"I'm sure he's planning something amazing! He's KID after all!"_

Kaito turned his head to look out the window, closing his eyes and trying to drown out the voices of the students and his new teacher. The teen sitting in front of him turned his head to look at the 'so-called' Phantom Thief with a frown on his face.

 _'There's something more to how he ended up here ... I know it...'_

 ** _September 2nd - After School - Shujin Academy 2-D Classroom_**

As classes ended for the day, Kaito was still staring out the window; almost looking listless. Akira was standing near the entrance to the classroom with the blond along with another short haired blond with brown eyes and a red shirt instead of the uniform one. They were accompanied by a messy dark-blue haired boy with brown eyes wearing the same uniform as them.

"Do you think he's alright? He's been doing that all day..." the girl questioned, worry tinting her voice.

"Maybe we should go and ask him!" The other blond exclaimed in a loud voice; causing many students remaining in the classroom to stare at him.

Akira's gaze was on the other teen at the other side of the room, obvious concern on his face. "He looks troubled."

"No shit!" exclaimed the blond boy.

A glare was pointed at him from the girl, "Ryuji, we're at school!"

"As if it matters, Ann!" He protested, sounding annoyed and tired.

"I think what Kurusu meant was that maybe he's troubled by what's happened to him. I mean I heard that the reason he was caught is because someone leaked his information to the police," the blue-haired boy explained.

Akira nodded as if to affirm this. "That's what I was thinking, Mishima." He looked back over to Kaito; a hand going to his chin as if in thought. "Maybe it was someone he trusted deeply and he's having a hard time processing it all."

"That's very plausible. After all, Phantom Thieves usually work alone, so if KID did then he'd hope the person he trusted with his identity wouldn't hand him over to the police," the cat spoke up from his placement in Akira's bag.

 _'Morgana has a point. If that happened it would take him time to trust people again, especially after how he refused to talk to anyone today.'_

"We should try talking to him." Akira turned to face Ann; who had spoken while he gave a slight blink of his eyes. "Everyone that's tried to talk to him has been fangirls who just wanted him to put his 'KID' persona on. He's not an actor, but a human being and he's currently going through some sort of mental issues that no one else is bothering to notice."

"Yea, because he's just been through shit and people just want attention from him; not caring at all that he could be hurting," Ryuji tsked in irritation.

The four nodded at each other and decided to head over to the teen, noticing how he was finally coming out of his stupor and picking his bag up. He looked up, noticing the four before standing from his desk with a sigh. "What? If you're going to ask me to put my 'KID' persona on; I'm not." He shook his head before looking away. "Never mind ... I need to go..."

"Kuroba-san, we're not here to ask about KID," Ann began trying to coax him to talk to them. He stopped himself from leaving and frowned at them in suspicion.

"Then what do you want?" He asked, sounding annoyed yet also distrustful.

"You were caught because someone you had trusted leaked your identity to the police didn't they?" Mishima asked, his brows knitted together in concern.

This question caused Kaito to remain silent, turning his head away from the other teens in shame.

A thought crossed Akira's mind and he decided to voice it, "The way you're acting ... it must've been someone close..."

Kaito's hands clenched by his sides yet he made no move to do anything.

He just took in breath after breath.

It looked as though he was trying to keep himself calm and it looked like it was working, but the four standing behind the magician could see his trembling stance.

He was having trouble controlling his emotions...

"Poker-face ... remember Poker-face..." He kept muttering to himself.

This confused the other teens as they all looked at each other. Mishima took out his cell phone; looking something up as Kaito turned his head to look at the four. Akira could see the distrust yet the yearning for that which his trust had been broken by, "It may take time, but you can trust us. We have more in common than you'd think."

Kaito seemed apprehensive about listening to Akira; his eyes going for the open window beside his desk which Akira noticed, but kept his cool. "Yea, if anyone understands you it'd be Akira. He's on probation too..."

This caused Kaito to turn his head in surprise back to the black-haired teen in glasses. The pig-tailed girl frowned at Ryuji, slapping him on the arm. "Ryuji! That's not your business to tell!"

Akira rubbed behind his head, shaking it with a hint of shame. "Does it really matter? The whole school knows anyway."

"Thanks to that bastard Kamoshida for blabbing!" Ryuji growled out.

The teenage magician blinked at the teenager in glasses standing before him. "You're on probation too?"

He nodded, however it seemed he didn't like talking about the subject. "We can discuss it more at Leblanc if you'd like?"

"There's a place called Leblanc here? Seriously!" Kaito exclaimed, sounding excited, but calmed down almost in an instant. "I mean ... that's cool..."

The four smiled at each other; realising that mentioning the cafe had peaked Kaito's sudden interest and made him look genuinely happy for a moment just because of the name.

 _'Let's hope that we can help him...'_

 ** _September 2nd - After School - Yongen-jaya - Leblanc_**

The four left Yongen-jaya Station and headed towards the cafe; Leblanc. They had said their goodbyes to Mishima once they got to Shibuya. The three Phantom Thieves had noticed how Kaito was eyeing his surroundings with unease as if expecting someone to pop out at them.

He seemed tense.

On edge, even.

"Do you think that he's been out in just as much danger as we have in the Metaverse?" Morgana spoke up, causing the three to look at the cat. "If he does the same thing we do by sending calling cards then stealing his target ... it'd be normal for him to be uneasy about his surroundings, especially after he was caught."

"Yea, who knows if some moron at school will leak his identity online just for attention not knowing the consequences...?" Ryuji stated, looking back at the other teen in worry.

"If that's the case ... then we have to help him. He's a fellow Phantom Thief after all," Ann spoke up, yet also trying to keep her voice down so only the three beside her could hear.

Akira gave an affirmative nod as his agreement with their statements. ' _He's just as much as a victim as we are in this society. We don't know his goals for stealing jewels, but we could still learn them from talking to him.'_

The four finally reached the small cafe and Kaito marvelled at the name before following the others inside. He frowned at how empty the interior was; there was nobody in the cafe except for a man behind the counter and someone sitting on one of the stools that Kaito thought he recognised with his short, neat dark brown hair and blue uniform.

"Oh, you're back," the man said before blinking at seeing him. "Oh, you're the boy I heard about from Nakamori-Keibu. So, you'll be staying here with Akira up in the attic, alright?"

Akira, Ryuji and Ann looked at Kaito in surprise. "You're staying here? How come you didn't say so?"

"I didn't think it was important..." Kaito muttered out before looking at the man and bowing. "I'm sorry about the inconvenience..."

"It's quite alright. Just so long as you don't cause any trouble for me," he told the teen and Kaito stood back up straight, looking relieved yet also still unsure.

"Why don't we go upstairs? We can talk there," Akira said, turning Kaito's attention to him once more. The magician nodded, slowly before following the three through the cafe.

The three passed by the only customer that had been served as he turned his head and let a smirk work its way across his face. "I thought I recognised that voice." This caused the teens to stop and turn around; Kaito however didn't. He didn't turn to face who had spoken to him. He knew who that voice belonged to. "I didn't think they'd send you all the way out here. It's so far from Ekoda, don't you agree, Kuroba?"

"Hey, who the hell are you, man!" Ryuji exclaimed, sounding frustrated that someone was being so nonchalant with Kaito.

"Kudou, what are you doing here?" Kaito asked, still not turning around to face the other teen.

The name caused the other four in the room to stare at the teenager in the blue blazer and green tie in shock. "W...Wait! You don't mean, Shinichi Kudou, right?!" Ann exclaimed as Ryuji took a step back as if ready to fight. "As in that teenage detective from Beika!"

"Great another one!" Ryuji grunted, annoyed.

Shinichi just shook his head; ignoring the comments of the teens and returning his oceanic orbs on Kaito. The magician felt the gaze, but still didn't budge. "Kuroba, I'll only say this once..." His eyes narrowed at the other teen. "...I wasn't the one who gave your identity to the police."

"Aren't detectives meant to for their self-righteous 'justice'? That's all Hakuba goes on about..." Kaito spat out seeming to be getting annoyed with the current pace of the conversation.

"True. My motto _is_ 'One Truth Prevails', but KID heists have always been relaxing and going up against an opponent that is equal in intelligence to my own is astounding. I also want to find out the truth behind KID's heists and why he steals and I can't do that if he's behind bars, now can I?"

Kaito finally turns his head to look at Shinichi with a lifted brow. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that there's more to the heists, your ambition and also..." Kudou's eyes narrowed once more. "...possible sniper attacks." This caused Kaito to freeze. Shinichi's expression changed to a smile as he looked to the shocked man behind the counter. "The atmosphere here is lovely, so calming. I might come back for another cup."

This caused Kaito to narrow his eyes and tsk. "What are you ... my babysitter?"

"Tantei, actually. You should know that by know." Shinichi gave Kaito a smile, hoping he'd return it with his usual bout of friendly banter, but the teen just turned his back and headed up to the attic. The detective watched this with wide eyes, surprised, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "I guess what happened bothered him more than I thought..."

The teenage detective gave a nod to Sojiro before grabbing his school bag and heading out the door. The man sighed, mumbling to himself about teenagers before Ann, Akira and Ryuji decided to follow Kaito upstairs. They found the teen lying on the couch, staring at the roof; arms covering his eyes.

"Kuroba-san, are you okay?" Ann questioned him as she sat down at the desk while Akira and Ryuji sat on the mattress that was Akira's bed.

He didn't answer.

"How do you know a detective?" Ryuji asked, curious to know how KID's real identity knew the detective.

"He comes to heists every so often as a stress reliever as he said. As repayment for not giving me to the police I've helped him solve murder cases using my 'methods'," Kaito explained to the three.

"Your 'methods'?" Ann questioned, raising a brow. "You mean the hacking information and disguising to infiltrate places?"

The teen thief nodded at the answer which caused the three to stare at him. "Do you really think he'd go back on his word?" Akira asked his own question.

"He's a detective! They uphold the law and they don't care about us!" Ryuji exclaimed, scoffing while folding his arms.

That response from Ryuji caused Kaito to frown, sit up and look at the three. "What do you mean by 'us'? As far as I'm aware of _I'm_ the only Phantom Thief here." A sarcastic smile spread Kaito's lips at his own next words. "Unless _you're_ those rumoured Phantom Thieves that steal hearts, but I doubt that." The teen looks away from them just missing their looks of shock. "You can't steal someone's heart. It's against logic and...and..." He gave out a soft sigh. "You just can't ... I've tried..."

He lay back down on the couch, covering his eyes once more. The three others in the room looked at each other before sneaking downstairs and outside the café.

Akira got his phone out while Ryuji scratched behind his head and Ann sighed. "He's got a lot of troubles. That's for sure..."

"Do you really think he has a Palace, Morgana? I mean, he's not bad, so why should he?" Ryuji asked the cat still in Akira's bag.

"I've explained before that it's to do with one's cognition. If it's strong enough it'll create a Palace. We just have to check if it comes up in the Nav first," Morgana explained, a frown set on his features.

Akira nodded as he brought up the red and black eye-ball app before bringing up the search bar and looking back at his friends. "What would his cognition be?"

Ryuji sighed, scratching his head as if wondering the same thing. "Well, he's staying at Leblanc, so could that be the location?"

"His name is also important; Kaito Kuroba it was," Ann added.

A ripple went over the four, causing them to look around before a female mechanical voice spoke up from Akira's phone. "Palace located!"

"He's got one?!"

"Now we just need a cognition!"

The four looked down as though in thought before Ryuji looked back up with a smile on his face. "Hey, he's a magician that's also a thief, right? Maybe it's got something to do with either of them?"

"That's impressive for you, Ryuji..."

"Shuddup!"

"How about a 'Circus'?" Ann suggested.

"No matches found," the Nav responded immediately.

Ann looked down; bothered that she didn't get it right. Akira thought about it, frowning slightly before an idea came to him and decided to give his own suggestion, "A Theatre?"

"Accepted!"

The four looked at each other in surprise as ripples swirled around them, pulling them into the Metaverse.

 ** _September 2nd - After School - Metaverse - Kaito's Palace_**

The four appeared in front of a large broken down theatre that looked as though it had not aged well; windows were broken, curtains were torn and the roof was collapsing in on itself.

The thieves stared at the Palace before them with mouths agape before closing them again and looking at themselves, realising they were still dressed in their uniforms.

"It's the same as with Futaba. He doesn't see us as a threat yet," Morgana explained, wincing as he looked back at the old theatre. "However ... what could cause his Palace to look ... like this?"

 **"A memory..."** The four were put on guard almost immediately at the sudden voice before turning their heads to see a figure in white. They donned a white suit, cape and top-hat along with a monocle. The yellow gaze of the being pierced the four below him. **"...A truly tragic one that leads to redemption, revenge and also death."**

The four below the figure stood up straight as they listened to his words. "Wait, are you ... Kuroba-san's shadow!" Ann exclaimed, eyes widening.

 **"Maybe..."** They looked at each other with raised brows at the vague answer yet knew this was in fact Kaito's shadow. **"You wish to pursue answers, correct?"** They nod and notice a vague glint of a smirk work its way over the shadow's features. **"Very well, I must warn you now ... the deeper you go the harsher it will be for you to come to terms with what a Phantom Thief must be burdened with..."**

After saying that he threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared into the night. The four looked at each before turning their gaze back to the ruined Palace. "How about we come back with everyone tomorrow? We can explain it to them on the chat briefly."

The other three nodded at Akira's plan before taking out the Nav app once more and allowing them to leave the Palace of their newest target; Kaito Kuroba or also known as ... Kaitou KID.

* * *

 _ **What do you think Kaito's Persona will be? That is if he even gets one to begin with. Now before you comment on this question, remember what Persona's the characters have as their own and what the theme of the game is. That should help.**_

 _ **LdR OUT!**_


	2. A Thief's Palace Part I

_**Now, I know there would be people who have the idea of doing P5 and MK crossover, but on here I haven't seen any just P3 and 4 while on DeviantART I only see artwork of the two protagonists or sometimes with the detectives. That's why I wanted to do this because there's SO many similarities between the two.**_

 _ **Also my response to** 'RoboVolcano4' **about whether Shinichi will get a Persona. I'll say that Shinichi will be a BIG part of the story, because I just love Kaito and Shinichi's rivalry/friendship. However I'll probably add other DCMK chars later, but they won't have as a big a part as Shinichi and Kaito.**_

 _ **Finally, my intrepation of Akira is how I played as him in my game as I haven't watched the Anime yet. I see him as the brains a lot of the time due to his intellect and leadership skills, he's quiet as his civilian persona due to his probation charges but as a Phantom Thief he enjoys showing off.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2: A Thief's Palace Part I**_

After the three Shujin students and cat had gotten back to reality they parted ways for the evening. Akira kept his phone out as he entered the cafe; typing a message on Phantom Thieves post.

 _[There's a Palace that we need to check out] AK_

 _[Why wasn't I informed of this infiltration?] MN_

 _[It was kinda last minute, Makoto.] AT_

 _[Whose Palace shall we be infiltrating this time then?] YK_

 _[Yea, I'm excited to hear it!] FS_

 _[The new guy in our class - Kaito Kuroba. He's on probation like Akira only it was being caught by the police as Kaitou KID.] AT_

 _[Oh! I saw that online! I wouldn't have thought he'd have a Palace though. He has a rule that no one gets hurt.] FS_

 _[His situation could be similar in a way to what yours was, Futaba. He was betrayed by someone who knew his identity and now feels trapped. I think we should at least help him.] AK_

 _[His shadow mentioned something about 'the burdens of a Phantom Thief'. What do you think he meant?] AT_

 _[If we want answers we're gonna have to go in and take a look 'round!] RS_

 _[You're too impulsive, Ryuji ... but I have to say that I agree with you guys. Let's do this.] MN_

 _[I agree too! He could be of a great help to us!] FS_

 _[How about we think about helping him first.] YK_

 _[Shut it, Inari!] FS_

 ** _September 3rd - After School - Yongen-jaya - Leblanc_**

A large group of students were standing outside of Leblanc than yesterday. There was Akira, Ann and Ryuji among them along with two more girls; one with short neck-length brown hair and reddish-brown eyes, wearing the same uniform as Ann. The other girl had long orange hair, light brown eyes and wore headphones over her ears; she was wearing a long-sleeved murky green overcoat with fluff on the hood with a white and red splattered undershirt. The last was a boy with neat dark blue hair that almost covered one of his blue eyes; he wore a different uniform to the other teenagers around him, suggesting he was from another school.

"What exactly was the Palace like?" the girl in the everyday wear asked, looking curious behind large black-rimmed glasses.

Ann looked down; a frown creasing her perfect features. "Well, I'd say it was ... different from the ones we've been to previously..."

"I remember the shadow saying it was 'a memory'. Does that mean that's what the Palace is based on?" Ryuji questioned, scratching his head.

Morgana popped out of Akira's bag giving a nod at the question. "Yes. A Palace can be created by any cognition of the Palace ruler which can be its distortion or even just a simple memory."

"And we know distortions are usually treasures..." Akira put a hand to his chin as though in thought. "So, if it really is a memory ... how do we help him?"

"When it's a memory ... it's like Futaba's case. We have to help them overcome that memory," Morgana explained to the group.

The group all looked down, thinking hard about the situation they were in before Futaba looked up with determined eyes. "Well, we're not helping him by standing around! Let's get going, Leader!"

The glasses-wearing boy blinked before letting a smirk spread across his lips, taking his phone out and pressing the app. He tapped on the search key, recent searches before everything around them began to ripple and distort, pulling them into the Metaverse.

They didn't realise that someone had been nearby enough to get caught in said 'jumping dimensions'; who had just come by to check on a certain thief.

 ** _September 3rd - After School - Metaverse - Kaito's Palace_**

The group of Persona-Users arrived at the entrance they had the day before; Akira and Morgana scouted the area in case Kaito's Shadow decided to make an appearance again. They didn't know the guy that well, so they wouldn't exactly know what his shadow-self would be like.

"Huh?" The two turned around to the others only to see Ann looking herself over. "He _still_ doesn't see us as threats?"

"Well, it took a confrontation with Futaba's shadow for her to see us as threats, so maybe that'll be it," Makoto suggested.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because he doesn't know who we are?" Morgana explained.

Akira frowned, looking down at the cat creature, folding his arms in the process. "Elaborate."

"He's heard of us, but he's never met us. He wouldn't be threatened by high-schoolers, but other thieves, most likely. He's probably met other Phantom Thieves in his line of work and has come to distrust them which is why he works alone," Morgana elaborated for the group.

Makoto nodded. "That does sound highly plausible. I heard on the news of Kaitou KID having to work with other thieves at certain times like Chat Noir and Nightmare for certain heists."

"Yes, I saw that too." Yusuke's expression suddenly changed to a frown as he looked at his friends and also teammates. "Didn't that Nightmare heist end ... badly?"

The six teens and cat moved their attention to the ground beneath them as realisation dawned on them of what Kaito's Shadow had possibly meant. However they didn't know the full details. They needed to look deeper into this and the only way was to enter the Palace.

Akira took in a deep breath to calm himself down from what Yusuke had just asked before turning back to the theatre. "Alright, let's go."

The group walked up the path, through the theatres broken and rusted main gates and the main doors that were open as if welcoming them inside, but in fact were broken as well. The Persona-Users already had a bad feeling about this Palace and if it was indeed a memory then what lay ahead for them would make them question a lot.

They walked through the open doorway, entering the main hallway and coming to a fork in the road; two of the three doors were locked while there was a staircase with a 'staff only' sign hanging along it.

The lot groaned while some sighed.

They had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy.

It never was...

Akira led the way to the open door and they came to a stage room. The curtains had fallen down on the stage, the wood flooring was splintered and some chairs had been burned and chucked across the roof.

A white figure stood on the stage; a smug grin on his face as the moonlight shone on him from the hole in the roof.

 **"You finally decided to come join me!"** He exclaimed in what they could only tell was mirth.

"You said this was a memory, correct?" Akira decided to probe the shadow, while his friends stood behind him; letting their leader do as he pleased. Shadow Kaito put a hand to his chin, trying to hide a grin spreading across his face. "You said we'd find answers in here if we continued deeper. What _sorts_ of answers?"

The shadow lowered his head allowing his top hat to cover his face, shadowing it and make him seem demonic with the aura surrounding him. **"I would've thought my warning was enough for you to leave this place."** He lifted his hand up and the group noticed only at the last moment the slight twinkle of amusement in the shadow's uncovered yellow eye. He snapped his fingers, causing the lights to turn off and the Persona-Users to look around for the shadow. **"If you won't heed my advice then how about we play a little game? I'll play the thief and you play the detectives. I love a game of cat and mouse after all!"**

A chuckle broke through the darkness before disappearing as the lights came back on and the teens were left shocked and a little disoriented.

"W...What the hell..." Ryuji muttered out loud after coming back to his senses. "Play thief and detective? Why?"

"Maybe that's why we're still in our uniforms. If we were in our thief outfits we'd be seen as accomplices or threats. He sees detectives and police as playthings it seems. A game when he's bored," Akira explained his thoughts to the group.

"That's not true at all," A voice spoke up behind the group and they all turned around to see the same teenager that the three had met in Leblanc yesterday; Shinichi Kudou. "It's an act. He's trying to lead you somewhere."

"H...How'd you get here?!" Ryuji exclaimed, surprised at seeing the detective.

Shinichi just shrugged his shoulders at the question. "I wanted to check on Kuroba and see how he was doing. He acted differently yesterday than how I thought he would react."

"So, then when you came to Leblanc you got caught up when we came here and you've just been following us?" Makoto questioned, eyeing the teen in suspicion.

"I did overhear a little and when I got here with you lot I realised it'd be best to follow people that had a better understanding of the place," Kudou explained, seeming a little embarrassed on his little to no knowledge at all of the Metaverse. "I also wasn't sure about what you were doing. It looked suspicious, so I followed you also for that."

"Anyways, what do you mean by 'he's leading us somewhere'?" Morgana questioned the detective; who looked down at the cat with raised eyebrows.

"Wow, and I thought Kuroba was nuts..." The comment caused quite a stifling of laughter among the group and Morgana to seethe. Shinichi coughed, realising what he'd said and remained serious once more. "He's used to leading others to him like me, other detectives or the police. He usually does it as a way to bait people."

"Bait people?" Yusuke asked, not understanding the simple concept.

"How about this? I know Kuroba, so how about I come along to help you play 'thief and detective' with him. I also know he likes his traps and plans ahead of schedule a lot, so I can help you avoid that and this feels like he's setting it up as though it were a heist. This first confrontation is where we meet when he steals the jewel, so we don't see him again until we get to the roof," Shinichi explained to the group; who just stared at the detective.

"Well, if that's so then what did he mean by 'burdens of a Phantom Thief'?" Akira questioned the detective.

This caused a look of surprise to cross Shinichi's face before it changed instantly to a grim one, bowing his head as his fringe covered his eyes from view. "I actually can't answer that. Kuroba is the only one with those answers. I've been trying to understand why he's KID and what drives him to such lengths to steal, but he just pushes the subject away. I think ... he's doing it with some form of justice in mind and I can see it whenever we face each other, but I just don't have the answer of why."

Akira was slightly out off by the detective's reaction to the question however he just gave a firm nod of his head at Shinichi; giving a faint hint of a smile on his face. He turned back towards his friends and nodded at them as well. "It might be risky, but with his information on Kuroba-san we might be able to help him more."

Ryuji, Makoto and Morgana looked unsure about the decision while Ann, Yusuke and Futaba agreed that it was for the best the detective join them on their quest. With Shinichi's help they'd be able to get through the Palace in a synch.

The leader of the group turned back to Shinichi, nodding at him, telling him that it was alright before they headed off. The group of now; seven teenagers and a cat made their way through the stage theatre and around the back of the stage where a panel was.

It lit up when the group approached it, causing immediate caution to flow over them.

 **"Oh? It seems my favourite detective has joined in on this little game. How delightful!"** The disembodied voice of Shadow Kaito exclaimed from the panel, causing Shinichi to blink. **"Now, there are six of these panels in this theatre. They ask quite simple questions. If you can answer them correctly then you'll be allowed to progress if not..."** They could almost hear the smirk spread across his lips as he chuckled at his next words. **"...you'll fall prey to one of my amazing traps! Ta-ta Tantei-kun!"**

"I told you he'd have plans ready, especially considering he loves his traps," Shinichi told the group as they all turned their eyes in the direction of the detective.

"Err ... what's 'Tantei-kun'?" Ryuji asked, scratching his head, confused.

Kudou shook his head, sighing. "His nickname for me. He gives all his detectives pet names. It makes the chase seem more fun to him."

"R...Right..."

Akira turned his attention away from the conversation behind him, looking at the control panel along with Futaba, Makoto and Morgana. The team leader pressed a button allowing the question for this room to pop up.

"Huh?" Shinichi, Ryuji, Yusuke and Ann turned to the source of the sound which had been Akira.

The detective approached the panel with a frown on his face, but a smirk soon followed suit. "When he said these would be simple he wasn't kidding."

"You understand this shit!"

Shinichi turned to face the group; a confident smirk across his lips. "Of course. I've read about this in my Father's files after all."

The question read: _"Phantom Thief 1412 = Kaitou KID?"_

"It's fairly simple. 'Kaitou' stands for 'Phantom Thief' however the '1412' is a little more different. My Father had read the 1412 by mistake as 'KID' and it seemed the thief liked the name and has gone by it ever since," Shinichi explained to the group.

His words seemed to have been recorded because there was a soft click sounding like it had come from one of the doors out in the Main Hall. The group looked back at Shinichi in surprise before he let it off with a simple shrug and smile.

"We have five more rooms to go with questions and they may get harder, so let's get going," He told them, causing the others to nod, still surprised at how fast the detective solved that puzzle; even Akira, Makoto and Futaba were surprised and they were the brains of the team.

Shinichi was leading the way as Akira talked with Morgana and the others. "Are you sure it's a good idea to have him tag along? What if we run into shadows that aren't Kuroba's?"

"This place seems pretty deserted, but it wouldn't hurt to remain cautious just in case. We don't even know if Kuroba-san's Shadow will keep his word," Akira remarked.

They only had Shinichi's word and even then the detective was going at his own pace.

As if something else was driving him.

* * *

 _ **I've already thought of Kaito's Persona and lots of people will think it's strange I go with that one, but to me IT IS Kaito's other self. I'll explain more on it once it's revealed otherwise I'll go into spoiler territory.**_

 _ **I've also decided to give Kaito and Shinichi Confidants, so as they can 'hang out' with Akira throughout the story. I never really used these ones in my playthrough which is why I gave them to these guys. Try and guess what their Confidants are? The only ones I couldn't give them were the story-oriented ones.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed it!**_

 _ **LdR OUT!**_


	3. A Thief's Palace Part II

_**Here's the third chapter for you guys. Also I thought it'd be too short if I only included one room in each chapter, so this one and possibly the next chapter will have two rooms unless there's a boss battle. so, basically they're halfway done with Kaito's Palace and the guy hasn't gotten his Persona yet. I'm still working on when and how he gets it. Don't worry.**_

 _ **This has nothing to do with the story, but last night while I was trying to grab my dog I hit the side of my Mum's bed. I heard a crack. My foot started hurting REAL bad. I hardly got any sleep last night because of the pain and told my Mum and she thinks I may have broken one of my toes or something which may be why it hurts to walk. So now I'm lying in bed with an ice-pack on it. Joy...**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy the chap!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 3: A Thief's Palace Part II**_

The Persona-Users with Shinichi now among them made it back to the main hallway. The detective finally stopped to take in his surroundings with a frown creasing his features. The group behind him watched; waiting to see his reaction.

"Just what is this place?" Kudou asked, finally turning to face the others; stopping his mini-investigation.

"We call it the 'Metaverse' and the only way to come here is through an app on a phone. We are currently residing inside Kuroba-san's Palace which took form from either a distorted cognition or this 'memory' his shadow was talking about," Akira explained what they knew to the logical detective; who just stared at them as though he was beat over the head by a club.

"Sorry, but you expect me to believe this? An app creates another world? A Palace created through a person's cognition? And ... Kuroba's Shadow?" Shinichi put a hand to his forehead as if trying to process it. "Are you saying that voice in that room wasn't him at all?"

"No. A shadow is a person's other-self that is created when their repressing emotional turmoil or their real intentions," Morgana explained to Shinichi; hoping to clear it up to the detective.

"Real intentions?" This caused Shinichi to look slightly interested. "This Palace is Kuroba's, correct?" They all nod. "So, if we continue we might find out his real intentions for why he became KID." A smirk spread across his face, causing the others to look slightly put off by it aside from Futaba; who found it amusing. "This kinda does feel like one of his heists. Well, let's play by his rules then."

"Hold on, do you even understand what we just told told you?" Makoto asked, sounding frustrated that the detective was trying to take charge so suddenly.

"Somewhat. I'm a logical person. I'll come to understand this in due time. However..." He looked around; scanning his surroundings with keen eyes. "...this place ... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

"Now that you mention it I feel like I've been here maybe when I was really young," Ann brought up, continuing the topic.

"A burnt, broken-down theatre ... what could that possibly have to do with Kuroba?" Kudou thought to himself; putting a hand to his chin, trying to think about it.

"We can think about it later! Let's get this next room done!" Morgana exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Shinichi blinked at the animated way the cat was moving before sighing and following the group to the second room. Akira opened the door to arrive at yet another stage area with the same set design as the first only this time they weren't greeted by Kaito's Shadow.

They walked down the rows of overturned seats and up to the stage, behind the curtains and to where the control panel was located at the back near the wall.

"I'm surprised we haven't run into any shadows yet," Ryuji said with a grin on his face.

"Don't jinx it, moron!" Ann exclaimed, glaring at him.

Akira, Makoto and Shinichi approached the panel, pressing the button and allowing the question for that room to pop up. Shinichi frowned at the question; going into his usual thinking pose as Akira and Makoto discussed what it could mean.

The question read: " _KID's first appearance = ?, KID's disappearance = ?, KID's reappearance = ?"_

"These all correspond with KID in a way," Shinichi muttered out loud, causing the others to look at him. "KID's first appearance was eighteen years ago, but he disappeared for eight; meaning he was only active for ten and then reappeared eight months ago. I have a hunch the KID from eight years ago is connected to Kuroba in some way."

After explaining all that there was a soft click emanating from outside the room; meaning the third door on that level had been unlocked.

"So, what you're saying is that Kuroba-san's Shadow may be leading us to that truth?" Makoto questioned the detective.

Shinichi blinked at hearing this and shrugged his shoulders. "Possibly. This is just a hunch though."

She nodded, but believed that it was still a sound theory.

The Persona-Users, Shinichi and Morgana left the second room and entered the main hall once more before turning their attention towards the final room. Akira pushed open the door before blinking in surprise at the staircase that now lay before them.

"Where do you think it leads?" Ryuji asked, scratching his head.

"A breaker room," Shinichi and Makoto spoke at the same time, surprising the group with their shared intelligence.

The girl seemed almost hesitant to continue to speak while Shinichi sighed, scratching his head.

He wasn't used to girls showing him up in intellect.

It felt strange.

"It will most likely lead us down to the breaker room." Ryuji looked at Shinichi in confusion, trying to process what the teenage sleuth just said. "Where they control all the power-supply in a building..."

"Oh! Gotcha!"

"So the final question for this floor is down there?" Morgana spoke up, waddling over to the door and looking down the steps. A frown creased his cat-like features as a shiver went up his spine causing his tail to stick out in shock. "The shadow said things will get darker as we go deeper in ... I got a bad feeling about down there..."

"How so?" Yusuke asked, looking down the stairs as well.

"Morgana's right. We should be cautious down there," Futaba brought up as the group to turned her. "I sense a shadow down there. It's only the one, so it could be Kuroba-san's Shadow, but best be on our guard."

They all nod at their guide and head down the stairs, making their way down a long hallway and past a few broken and sparking electrical wires along with some broken vents hanging from the ceiling before coming to an open room. There was another panel in the middle of said room and the group immediately hurried over to it, pressing the button for the third question.

The question read: " _What was the purpose behind the current KID's desires?"_

"What the shit kinda question is that?" Ryuji exclaimed, eyes widening as he stared at the panel.

They all looked to the person who seemed to know KID the most, but it seemed even he was having trouble coming up with an answer. Shinichi's brows were furrowed, hand placed on his chin as he tried to think of the answer. "Umm ... it might be justice..."

"Might be! You said he sets up traps if we get it wrong!" Morgana exclaimed, causing Shinichi to wince.

"I know that. I just don't know his true goal, so it's hard for me to figure out..." the detective said, looking away from them as though ashamed of his answer.

The sound of beeping could be heard from the machine as the screen turned red and flashed the grinning KID symbol on the screen at them. They all turned to look back at the panel to see the screen and realised that they had gotten that question wrong.

It wasn't the flashing red screen that gave it away, but the fact that the KID symbol looked more confident than usual.

As if it had won a game.

A sudden burst of cheerful laughter in the room made the group turn to see the figure of Shadow Kaito standing at the other side of the room with the same large grin on his face as the symbol. The detective couldn't believe what he was seeing, trying to rub his eyes and disbelieve it.

However he couldn't.

 **"It seems you got one wrong. I was actually looking forward to this..."** He said with a slight pout as though whining about his fun being ruined.

That reaction was short-lived when he clapped his hands and the room exploded in glue and confetti. The only ones that had seen it coming were Shinichi with him being a detective and knowing KID personally, Akira with his reflexes along with Makoto and Futaba; who had used her Persona's ability.

"Yuck! This is gonna stick to my fur!"

"What is this stuff!"

"Goodness..."

"I told you he was good at traps..." Shinichi sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.

"No shit, Sherlock!" The angry remark had come from a confetti faced Ryuji; who didn't look at all pleased.

 **"That was your punishment for getting my question wrong."** A silent smile spread across the thief's facial features. **"It seems you don't know me well enough to progress, eh, Tantei-kun?"** The yellow eye glinted at the detective, causing him to steel his nerves and glare back.

"What do you mean by that? This place is meant to represent KID, isn't it?" Shinichi questioned the shadow.

 **"I think you're forgetting one little glaring detail, detective. My identity and KID both represent this Palace therefore you will need information on both."** A confident grin spread across the shadow's face as if he'd won.

The detective locked shocked for a second, contemplating that piece of information before a familiar smirk spread across his lips. "Alright, game on, KID."

He didn't have to hide the fact that he enjoyed KID's games and with him being a detective ... searching for information was a go to for him.

However it was sudden...

A voice rang in his head, causing the detective to grab at his head and hunch over, crying out. The others stared at him only just realising what was going on by the aura pulsating around him. **"That confident smirk of yours makes you who you are, drive home that power of confidence ... and release the chains of fate binding you. I am Holmes and I will give you my power."**

The detective didn't understand what was going on, but he indeed understood what the voice meant. He was confused when he felt something on his face.

A mask?

Kudou stood to his feet, trying desperately to get it off his face until it finally came off. A transparent being appeared behind the detective; who was standing on shaky legs due to the shock. It was wearing a deerstalker coat and hat, a pipe was held in it's hand while its eyes were a vivid blue colouring however the rest of its face was undistinguishable due to the shadows of the hat.

He looked up at Shadow Kaito just to see a giddy look cross the shadow's eyes. **"It looks like things have gotten a lot more interesting! I'll be going for now! Make sure to give my real self my love!"** He disappeared in cloud of smoke just as Shinichi collapsed to the floor right after his Persona vanished.

The others ran to his aid, checking him over for possible injuries, but found none. They were indeed surprised that the detective had gotten his very own Persona.

"What was that just now?" he asked them, looking other to the group.

"We call them 'Persona'. A manifestation of one's true self to be quite frank," Morgana explained it as simple as he could to the tired detective. "We weren't expecting you to have one."

"One's true self..." Shinichi muttered to himself before a soft laugh left his lips. "I guess Holmes suits me then. Hattori will never let me hear the end of this."

"We should stop for today. You're exhausted after your awakening. We can come back tomorrow," Akira spoke up.

"Good idea." Kudou stood up, groaning, causing Ryuji to help him along with Akira. "Thanks."

The Persona-Users gave the detective smiles in return. He understood how they felt now, but how would they get further into the Palace without knowledge of Kuroba?

* * *

 _ **I'm not sure if this is how some of you thought of Shinichi's awakening to happen, but I couldn't really think of anything else since Kaito isn't a bad guy he's facing like how the others have sort of faced their own. It's sort of like Shinichi coming to terms to truly understand how to help Kaito and the only way to do that is to gain a Persona. I'll make sure Kaito's awakening is more fleshed out and shows his development, somehow. I also want to show Kaito and Shinichi's progression as they become closer friends and more intertwined with the Phantom Thieves.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed!**_

 _ **LdR OUT!**_


	4. Break In To Break Out

**_Here's the fourth chapter! Also if there are any questions about couples in this it's going to be canon couples for the Magic Kaito characters and my favourite pairing from Persona 5. However, pairings don't have a lot of importance to the story; it's mainly the story, friendships the characters share and how they develope as time passes. Hope you understand that. I just wanted to get that out of the way before people started asking about couples in this._**

 ** _Right now, my progress of the game is nearing it's end I think. I finished Shido's Palace a few days ago; so I know about what happens in there. I'm up to fighting the mini-boss; Michael before I get to fight the Holy Grail again. So, I'm up to the 24th of December in the game. I'm just taking a break, because I don't think I planned my party that well before I fought that mini-boss. He gets healed continuously and that annoyed me and I ended up using all mine and my party's SP. Not very good idea on my part. So, I'm gonna try again and hopefully beat him this time._**

 ** _Anyways, enough of my problems - hope you enjoy!_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 4:_** ** _Break In To Break Out_**

The group left the Palace via the Nav, so that Shinichi could get some rest for the rest of the day. However, since they were right outside of Leblanc it when they arrived it made things quite convenient for Akira to allow Shinichi to take a small rest there. Akira waved goodbye to Ann, Ryuji and Yusuke while he, Kudou and Futaba made their way into the cafe.

It was just as empty as the day before.

However, Akira recognised the teen sitting at the counter with a cup of steaming coffee in front of him. He had shoulder-length light brown hair with a white shirt and black and white striped-tie on with black pants to go with his tie; obviously from a school uniform.

The teenager turned his head when he heard the doorbell ring and smiled, good-naturedly at Akira. "Ah, you're back quite late."

"What are you doing here?" Akira questioned, raising a brow at the teen.

"Is it against the law to come to a cafe to enjoy some coffee?" the teen shot back with a smile on his face.

Akira kept his lips shut at that comment though his expression was twisted in a slight frown at how happy the teen seemed to be.

"You're Goro Akechi..." Shinichi spoke up, causing the teen to turn his attention to him.

"Oh? You're Shinichi Kudou," Akechi looked excited to meet a fellow detective in such a small cafe. "Though you haven't been in the news as of late. Why is that?" Curiosity seeping into his voice as his childlike smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown.

"That's a personal matter..." Kudou looked away, not seeming to like that matter brought up, especially by a detective he hardly knew.

There was silence between the three as Futaba hid between both Shinichi and Akira from Akechi's view; only for her eyes to go towards the attic staircase and notice Kaito there.

His blue orbs were tightly on Akechi, glaring at him, as if able to tell that something was off with the detective.

"Kuroba-san!" His eyes instantly went to her, confused of how she knew his name, scanning her before instantly landing on Shinichi and frowning. "Kudou, came to make sure you were alright!"

He just gave a light shrug before turning around and heading back upstairs.

Futaba blinked before turning her attention to Shinichi; who winced. "It must've been worse than I thought. He's keeping his emotions locked up." He sighed, shaking his head. "Someone as carefree as him shouldn't do that."

Akira and Futaba stayed silent as the detective seemed to be contemplating on Kaito's current circumstances along with the issues they had in the Metaverse; Kaito's Palace. They had to figure out how to answer that question and the coming ones; only thing is they didn't know the purpose behind the current KID's desires.

What did he want?

Why did he go after jewels only to return them?

It bugged Shinichi that the answer he gave ... he got wrong...

What could it be...?

Akira and Futaba led the exhausted Shinichi over to one of the empty tables in the café. They sat down; Akira sitting beside Shinichi and Futaba across from them. "Sojiro, could we get something!"

The man behind the counter looked up and gave a nod at them. "What would you like? Coffee?"

The three teens nodded; though Shinichi seemed a little more like he was nodding off with his head about to hit the table. Akira tapped his shoulder, causing the detective to blink awake, groan and massage his temple. "Once I get that coffee I'll be good..."

"Do you live off coffee or something?" Futaba asked, sounding curious.

"A bit," was Shinichi's simple reply.

Once the coffees were delivered to their table; Shinichi took his into his hands, taking in the bitter scent before taking a sip. "We forgot to introduce ourselves to you, especially with everything that happened," Akira spoke up to the detective; who looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "I'm Akira Kurusu; I go to the current school as Kuroba-san which is how I met him. He's in my class."

"I see."

"I'm Futaba Sakura, I'm sort of a recluse. I don't like big crowds," she said, rubbing behind her head, sheepishly.

Kudou blinked, surprised, that someone like that was in such a big group.

Then again it would help with social skills.

"The others in our group were; Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki; who are in the same year as you and me. Futaba is a year below us. Yusuke Kitagawa is in the same year as us as well, but he goes to another school and there's also Makoto Nijiima; whose in her final year," Akira explained everyone in their group to Shinichi.

"Hey, don't forget about me!" A voice called out from Akira's bag, surprising Shinichi and nearly making him spill his coffee. Futaba chuckled at the startled expression on the detective's face as he stared at the black cat with the yellow collar. "I'm Morgana; the cat you saw in the Palace. I take this form while in this world."

The detective just stared at the cat, dumbstruck.

"Do you think we broke him?" Futaba asked, about to poke Shinichi, but the detective shook his head and sent a slight glare at her.

"I'm not. It's just a little hard to take this all in at once..." he said, sighing, looking down into his coffee. "I'm a logical person and this seems like something from fiction..."

"It's understandable. Not many know of the cognitive world and how it works, so when we next head in ... if you want to join us again make sure you're prepared," Morgana explained to the detective; who nodded his head at the cat.

"I'll come along." The detective's eyes stared into his coffee once more. "Kuroba has helped me more than once and I can't just stand by while he suffers..."

"We'll need your number, so we can contact you for the next infiltration," Akira explained to Shinichi; who looked up in surprise at the word.

"Infiltration? You're making this sound like a heist," he sputtered out.

The teen with glasses just gave out a calm-like shrug causing the detective to frown. He sighed, taking out his cell phone and exchanging numbers with Akira before returning his phone to his pants pocket. The detective finished his coffee not soon after; Akira removed himself from the table so the teen could get out of the seat. He nodded at the two, smiling before taking his leave.

The bell chimed indicating his departure from the café. The red-head looked at Akira; her glasses at the tip of her nose as a frown passed over her face. "You think it's a good idea to have him help us? He's a detective after all."

"He knows Kuroba-san better than any of us and has been to a few of the KID heists as well. I think he has a firm understanding of how Kuroba's brain works," Akira replied to Futaba's comment.

The girl groaned, slouching in her seat and gave the impression that she was exhausted after today's events. "Well, text us when you want to head back in, okay."

He gave a nod and watched as she left the café; heading back to Sojiro's house. Akira stretched in his seat before turning his attention back to staircase that led to the attic. He and Kuroba had a bit in common yet the other teen had hardly spoken to him. Yesterday was the most Kaito spoken while today once the bell had rung he left by the open window beside his desk.

An odd way to leave a classroom yet efficient if you didn't want to speak to anyone.

He could probably picture Ryuji doing such a thing, but has never seen the delinquent try it ... yet.

The Persona-User finally got up from his seat, waving to Sojiro and heading towards the staircase for the attic. The teen walked up the creaky stairs, eyes looking over to see where the magician was and found him at the desk; doing homework. He approached the other teen, causing him to look up after hearing the floorboards creak and frown at being disturbed.

"Hey Kuroba-san..." Akira started, unsettled with Kaito's glare. "...we're both living here, so I hope we can get along and hopefully become friends."

"That depends on what your definition of a friend is..." Kaito muttered out, sounding irritated.

"Excuse me?" Akira asked, surprised at the attitude of his housemate.

"Nothing..." Kaito sighed, going back to his homework without a second glance at the other teen.

Akira shook his head, sighing and walked over to his bed, sitting down on it and allowing Morgana to jump out of his bag; catching Kaito's attention before he went back to studying. The glasses-wearing teen took out his phone and made a new post-thread to his contacts.

 _[We shoulder go again tomorrow after school. Kuroba-san seemed agitated when I asked him about being friends...] AK_

 _[Well, I don't know a lot about Kuroba's private life, but I know he knew Nakamori-keibu personally along with his daughter] SK_

 _[Wait, what!?] RS_

 _[Another detective told me. He told me he was in Kuroba's class and everyday was a quote; "different experience".] SK_

 _[Was it that 'Hakuba' he mentioned yesterday?] AT_

 _[That wouldn't happen to be Saguru Hakuba, would it?] MN_

 _[It is.] SK_

 _[The dude's surrounded by detectives! I feel sorry for 'im!] RS_

 _[Technically he hasn't met Hattori yet, but I guess having two detectives on your tail is a bit daunting. This coming from one.] SK_

 _[Especially whenever the media talks about detectives or KID it gets real insane!] FS_

 _[Please, don't remind me...] SK_

Akira smirked to himself at the responses, especially Shinichi's. He had to hand it to the detective ... he could be a good informant for them. That is if he stayed with them long enough to know what they were possibly doing.

He would just have to wait and see...

 ** _September 4th - After School - Metaverse - Kaito's Palace_**

"Alright, we're all here!" Morgana exclaimed, jumping towards the entrance of the theatre. "Let's try and answer that question today!"

They all nod at the cat; heading through the broken gate and door and coming to the entranceway. The lot of them froze when they saw a jewel on a pedestal in the middle of the room. It had an odd glow about it when the moon's light shone on it.

 **"I decided to heighten security."** The group turned around to find Shadow Kaito standing on the top of the railing that led to the second floor. **"Your attempt at that question had me saddened, but your challenging me has me quite pumped, Tantei-kun."** He gave a slight shrug; a smirk clearly seen on his face as his yellow eyes gazed down at the Persona-Users. **"I hope this next attempt you do is betters ham your previous one. I believe there will surprises waiting inside for you..."** With that he jumped down, disappearing through the floor; surprising Kudou, but the others seemed used to the tricks done by Shadow-versions of people.

Shinichi sighed to himself; looking over at the jewel with a frown on his face, eyeing it. "It might be a trap, so be careful. I did say yesterday he's known for those."

The group nodded and began to walk past the jewel without a second thought to it, but stopped when they realised one member was missing. "Hey, where's...?"

They turned around when they heard purring and meowing emanating from behind them. "T...Treasure..." The cat leapt at the glass, trying to cut it open with his claws which instantly put the teens on edge.

"Hey, you idiot! Didn't you hear Kudou-san!" Ryuji exclaimed before crying out in shock as lasers began spreading out around them. "Shit!"

The whole room was covered in red-lasers. The six teens were separated by a laser wall each and the cat was in the middle with the treasure he had been manipulated by.

"Great! We're stuck!"

"Who has lasers in a theatre...?"

"It must be a part of his cognition," Futaba explained, sighing. "He must see a lot of places that can easily trap him..."

Shinichi looked down at the ground with a thoughtful look on his face. "So, he feels trapped whenever he goes anywhere. I never realised ... and I call myself a detective..." He tsked, folding his arms across his chest, annoyed at himself. "He called me his friend once and I didn't even know how to respond. How can I call myself his if I don't even know what's bothering him..."

"He's keeping his emotions locked away, yes?" Akira asked. "There's no way you would know just from seeing a mask..."

The detective scrunched up his nose before letting out a short, annoyed sigh. "I guess not." He walked over to the lasers, examining them closely. "How do you suppose we get out.

"I don't know..."

 ** _September 4th - After School - Yongen-jaya - Leblanc_**

"I wonder why Kudou's been coming here so often ... it can't just be to see how I am..." muttered the magician while he rested on the sofa in the attic.

A beeping sound from his cell caused him to blink, taking it out from the pocket of his uniform, unlocking it and stare at the screen with a confused frown. An app was on his phone with an eyeball with a red and black splattered background.

"I don't remember downloading an app like this..." He sat up, scratching behind his head, confused. A small sigh escaped his lips as he shook his head. "Maybe going for a walk will clear my head."

The magician stood from the couch, heading down the stairs and out of Leblanc. He took one more look at the app, curiosity setting into him before clicking on it. He felt a sudden ripple and looked around, feeling a presence behind him, but found no one was there.

"Am I losing it? Geez. Maybe staying at Leblanc was a bad idea for me. After all; who wants Kaito Kuroba under their roof?" A small, tired chuckle left his throat however he didn't notice the second ripple pass over. "I'm such a damn mess, especially after what happened at Dad's show in that theatre..."

"Palace located!"

"Huh!" Kaito exclaimed, surprised. "Palace? Wait, what?" He had only been talking to himself and now suddenly he felt like he was being pulled somewhere else.

 ** _September 4th - After School - Metaverse - Kaito's Palace_**

The teenage magician groaned, looking around at his current whereabouts. His eyes focusing on the theatre before him and took a step back, recognizing the shape, texture and even the smell of decay and burnt wood.

He swallowed, unsure of where he currently was.

"A theatre, huh...?" He looked down at his phone, a crooked smile on his face before putting it back in his pocket.

He eyed the building with unease before looking to the broken gate, sneaking up to it; carefully pulling himself onto a bunch of boxes stacked by the gate allowing him to jump over and land in the garden. He noticed a ventilation shaft just by the doorway, unscrewing the bolts before he removed the vent cover to make for an easy access.

As he crawled through the vent he could hear the sound of arguing coming from nearby and made a turn, looking down to see a bunch of lasers surrounding a bunch of teens and a cat thing.

One teen caught his attention amongst them, blinking. "Wait, is that ... Kudou?"

"Morgana, maybe you should hold off on those damn temptations of yours!"

"I can't help it!"

"You two are giving me a serious headache..."

Kaito chuckled at the argument. That was definitely something the detective would say if he was annoyed. "It looks like I better help them..." He turned around to grab his card gun, but froze when he noticed he was in his Kaitou KID outfit. He looked at his hands, noticing the pristine white gloves; using them to grab ahold of his top hat and pull it down, smirking. "This makes things much easier," he spoke with a higher pitch to his voice.

The magician-thief removed the vent; eyes scanning the area for the possible switch that turned the lasers off. His eyes caught sight of what the cat was near and widened his eyes, staring at it.

"Ooo!" A grin spread across his face; now getting into his KID persona and focusing on everything around him. He spotted the switch on the other side of room, readying his card gun to shoot.

He couldn't wait to see Kudou's face when he saw him.

It would be priceless!

He aimed his gun and fired. The sound caught the attention of the teens as Kaito quickly hid behind a stairwell. The card made contact and he heard a beeping sound as the lasers turned off, surprising the group in the room. They all regrouped and Kaito noticed how the cat got a lecture about setting off traps connected to treasures. This caused the magician to smirk as he put his hand down, letting a few smoke bombs roll over to the teens; none was the wiser until Shinichi noticed them along with Akira. They didn't get to warn the others until the area they were in was covered in smoke.

"You serious! First a laser trap and now smoke bombs!"

Kaito saw this as his opportunity and ran at the pedestal holding the jewel; quickly making a hole for him to grab it. He carefully took it out and jumped out of the way as he noticed Shinichi's form making his way out of the smoke and covering his nose. Kaito jumped back near the entrance; ready to run from the detective at any given moment.

The detective turned his attention to Kaito and blinked in surprise. "What?" The magician tipped his hat down a bit to cover most of his face from view, making Shinichi unsure whether this was the real Kaito or the Shadow-version. He then, noticed the jewel in Kaito's hand and frowned. _'It's gotta be the real one. The Shadow-version likes playing games more-so than stealing and probably revealing what Kuroba is hiding...'_

The rest of the smoke cleared and the group could finally see Kaito being illuminated by the moonlight behind him. Ryuji growled trying to stomp towards the thief, but was stopped by Shinichi. "Y'think its funny setting up these traps and letting us fall for 'em!?"

The thief tilted his head, confused at the statement. "Excuse me? I didn't set up any traps. If you mean the lasers I was the one who saved you, but I did indeed set off the smoke bomb."

"Ryuji!" Morgana exclaimed, causing the teen to look down at the cat. "That's the real one! He's not acting like this is all a game like the Shadow or there's something hidden inside this Palace. He's acting like any ordinary thief. He doesn't know where he is at the moment. He probably set the smoke off because he was interested in the treasure."

"That sounds about like something he would do..." Shinichi muttered out, sounding regretful he wasn't the one to figure it out.

Although Kaito seemed surprised by the cat talking and what he was talking about; he instantly turned his back to them and lifted the jewel up to the moonlight; noticing the faint red glow inside.

He felt like his heart had stopped.

The thief swallowed and tensed; realizing another pair of eyes was on him a part from the ones he already knew.

 **"That's not what you're looking for."** Kaito turned his head to see his Shadow self only wearing the outfit he wears as Kaito Kuroba; his old Ekoda uniform which caused the magician to wince. **"You're running away; probation is just a better term for it."**

"Who are you?" Kaito growled out, almost sounding offended.

 **"I'm offended! I'm the you that you keep locked away!"** The Shadow-self exclaimed, causing Kaito to frown and the other to pout. However the pout didn't last long and was replaced by something much more serious. **"This Palace was created due to your hidden emotions you keep locked inside. You know what they are, right?"**

"No, I don't," Kaito spat out, bluntly.

The look his Shadow-self gave him turned dark almost in an instant; making the other teens wonder if something bad will come of this is Kaito continued to provoke his other self. He suddenly disappeared from where he stood on the staircase railing; appearing in front of Kaito and making the teenage thief take a step back; taking in the Shadow's yellow eyes and similar appearance.

 **"So, you continue to hide? You really think trying to find Pandora will do anything?"** The Shadow Kaito bombarded Kaito with questions; causing the teen to back up; his glare never wavering. **"You think being KID will help? It's only made your life worse!"** The Shadow threw his arm out, whacking the jewel out of Kaito's hands and across the floor near the other teens. Kaito didn't bother to go after it. His attention was on the Shadow before him. **"** **And ... what of Dad? He was murdered as KID and your putting yourself in just as much danger!"**

"Don't say things as if I don't understand," Kaito growled out, glaring with defiant blue eyes at his Shadow. "I know being KID is a risk, but who else out there knows what I do? Those people need to be stopped and destroying Pandora will put one of their plans on hold long enough to save at least some lives ... and stop other families from being torn a part by crime..."

The Shadow wasn't even shocked by the statement his real self made. A smirk spread across his face. **"Why don't you keep that resolve then?"**

Kaito frowned at his other self before the Shadow touched his forehead, causing him to freeze and the other teens to gawk and look ready to rush over to help; only to be stopped by Morgana. "Hold on. It's just like with Futaba. He's realizing his inner self and his emotions that were buried inside of him."

 **"I see you have finally found your resolve; keep it and continue to make me proud, my son,"** A voice inside Kaito's head spoke up, surprising him. He looked up, seeing a form that looked similar to his KID outfit only their facial features were hard to make out due to the blue transparent-like appearance; they however had eyes like blue fire and a black moustache. The cape was instead replaced by wings that looked a lot like dove wings.

Kaito stared at the form before him in shock; his mouth opening and closing like his dreaded fear. "W...What? Dad?" The form gave a sort of smile before disappearing, causing Kaito to fall to his knees; grasping his head. "Ugh!"

"Whoa, I wasn't expecting that!" Ryuji exclaimed, whistling with an impressed tone of voice.

"We should probably get out here, so that Kuroba-san can rest," Akira explained to his comrades.

"Wait, if Kuroba-san just got his Persona and realised his inner turmoil then there's no need for this Palace," Ann stated, looking around.

"That's right. We should probably leave, so we're not caught up in the collapse," Morgana told the group.

"Persona? Palace? What you all talking about?" Kaito muttered out, sounding like he was between awake and passing out.

Shinichi noticed this and quickly grabbed hold of the thief before he fell over along with Akira; helping the magician out of the theatre. "Come on, Kuroba, we'll explain it to you later."

"Along with a chocolate milkshake..." the thief grumbled out, nodding off. "...with extra chocolate and cream..."

A small smile spread across the detective's lips as he nodded to the magician's musings. "Whatever you say. Just promise to listen and also give your side."

A soft snore was his answer as the thief's body went limp; indicating his unconsciousness. Akira blinked in surprise and called for Ryuji's help while Shinichi just shook his head with a soft smile on his face at his unconscious rival.

He never thought the two of them would possibly team up like this.

* * *

 _ **If you've figured out who Kaito's Persona is then congrats to you! It wasn't the ideal way for me to write how he got it, but I couldn't think of any other way. I also thought that them going through his Palace would be very drawn out if he got it early on since once the owner of the Palace realises their struggles the Palace collapses, so what would be the point in keeping it around? I also decided on that Persona because it's technically Kaito's other self already and in the Persona series I notice how mostly fictional, Gods or dead/famous real people become Personas such as: Arsene Lupin - Fictional, Satan - God of Hell and William Kidd - Real Person. So, Kaito's Persona would most likely be something he's connected to and if it was a person it'd also be someone he held close which is why I chose this character as his Persona.**_

 _ **Also, no one seems to have asked why Shinichi is himself. There've been no questions about if he's Conan in this which I'm surprised about. Well, I'll answer it here. I'm not sure as of now. Maybe not. Most of my DC fics have Conan in it, so maybe this will be the first that has Shinichi already cured.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed, LdR OUT**_


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